The Descendant of Madain Sari
by Strider Evenstar
Summary: Set 200 years after FFIX. Dane Dukedom is part of a resistance group set on bringing down the Alexandrian empire, ruled by an evil sorceress. He soon finds out that he has the power to summon Eidolons - an art that's been lost for hundrends of years. This just might be the key to restoring justice back to Alexandria.
1. What Happened In the Forgotten Passage

**Prologue:** What Happened In the Forgotten Passage

"Hurry, this way," a short figure with a tall pointy hat called out as he ran down the corridor with arches hanging overhead. His voice echoed down the dark halls as his torch flickered the only light reflecting off the stone walls. He could hear footsteps behind him, following him with a hurried pace. They didn't have much more time. Suddenly, the sound of a huge explosion was heard above the cobblestone ceiling.

"We're almost there," he said aloud, half informing the person behind him and half to reassure himself. As he stopped to wait for the person to catch up to him, his glowing yellow eyes looked up at the ceiling.

Soon, a woman with curly, dirty blonde hair caught up to him. She was holding a baby in her arms, wrapped tightly in a plain white cloth.

"Thank you for your help, Vivi," the woman said. She was beautiful, and her tall, strong figure suited her handsome looks. "The kingdom will be eternally in debt to you one day, once this is settled."

Vivi looked down to the ground, slightly embarrassed.

"But who knows when that will be," he replied. The woman put her hand on his shoulder.

"It matters not when, Vivi," she replied. "If there's one thing I've learned about being the captain of the knights of Alexandria, it's that matters are always set right in due time. It may not be when we want it, or when we think it to happen. But they happen precisely when they mean to."

Vivi stared up at her in admiration; General Beatrix always seemed to have a positive, strong attitude under that broken soul. He nodded his head at her, understanding what she meant, and clenched his little fists tightly. With that, he again trotted on down the empty halls.

Finally, they arrived at a stone platform that overlooked a pool of darkness. Beatrix walked over to a bed of tall yellow flowers that were somehow growing amidst all the darkness. Studies by the great Doctor Tot had further proven that these flowers were indeed a fungus, with a special genetic code that gave it plant like features and structure. Beatrix waved the yellow flower through the dark musty air like it was a flag, and soon there was a squeal at the other end of the darkness.

Following the squeal was what sounded like loud footprints on the ceiling. Had Vivi never been in this chamber before, he would imagine he'd be pretty scared by now, especially by what he was about to see. Out of the darkness, hanging from the ceiling, was a huge bug like beast, almost resembling a spider. Its legs were wrapped around a thick vine that was about one metre from the ceiling. Hanging from the creatures back was a worn looking cab.

"I guess this is it," Vivi announced. Beatrix handed him the infant as the creature stopped to eat the yellow flower she was holding in the air.

"Hurry! Once he's finished eating, he'll be right on his way," Beatrix warned. Vivi stared at the infant, sleeping so sound. He could feel its fragile body inhaling and exhaling calmly. As he stared at the infant, then back at Beatrix, he felt torn. "Vivi hurry, you must get on the Gargant right away," Beatrix urged.

Vivi then softly put the baby into the Gargant's cab, and quickly closed the door. Within seconds, it was well on its way further down the dark path.

"I want to stay and fight too," Vivi replied, looking up at Beatrix. "There's no reason why I can't. If I could handle Kuja, I'm sure I can handle this! Besides, Doctor Tot is already waiting at the other end...He'll be safe."

Beatrix smiled as she looked down at the child.

"Kuja seems like nothing but an old bad dream compared to these last few months," Beatrix sighed. "But you're right. If that's what you want; you're arts in the black magic will more than suffice."

"Then let's go!" Vivi declared. The two nodded their heads with each other, and headed back down the pathway that they arrived in, the sounds of explosions and cries filling the air above the deep, forgotten passage.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two finally burst through two large doors that entered the Alexandrian courtyard. The smell of blood filled the night air. They couldn't believe their eyes; Bahamut was flying in the air in what seemed like a frenzy, Black Mages and Alexandrian Soldiers alike fighting for their land, not even noticing the corpses of their companions lying on the ground.

"Are you ready, Vivi?" Beatrix asked, under her breath.

"Yes," Vivi answered, his voice shaking as he firmly stared off into the nightmare in front of him.

"For Alexandria!" Beatrix yelled as she lifted her sword into the air one last time, running into the chaos.

"For Zidane and Dagger!" Vivi yelled out, lifting his hands to prepare casting Firaga. They both knew they had already lost the fight, but there was no way they were going to let the enemy forget this night. Besides, it was like Beatrix said, things are always set to happen right when they're meant to, even when it's not convenient for oneself or not done in the way we would think it to be.

xxx

On a well lit platform not too different than the one Vivi and Beatrix earlier sent off a child on stood a stout man with circular glasses and a pointy nose. His frizzy red hair scattered in all directions as a concerned look stared into the darkness. Soon the familiar squeal of a Gargant was heard in the distance as the older gentlemen's ears twitched up.

The Gargant stopped so the cab was almost directly in front of the stout man. When he noticed no one in the cab, a startled sigh escaped his mouth. He quickly opened the door to see an infant asleep, wrapped tightly in a cloth. He gently picked the child up and the Gargant continued on it's way.

Soon, through the door came a limping woman, resting her left side on a crutch. She wore a long red cape, and had white hair that covered her beautiful rat-like face.

"So this is all that's left of the Royal Family of Alexandria," she stated as she hobbled towards the older man, staring at the infant. "Dammit! I knew I should've stayed and fought!"

"Calm down Freya," the man replied calmly as he slowly walked off the platform, intently staring at the child. "With the shape you're in, you would have been just about as much help as this child on the battlefield."

"But Doctor Tot- I,"

"No buts, child," Doctor Tot interrupted. "We all have rolls to play. Don't think you're roll is any less important than Steiner's or Vivi's..."

The woman known as Freya nodded her head in agreement and quietly followed the doctor back into his home.

"It seems like this is the beginning of a whole new act," Doctor Tot said, staring down at the child. "And just like a play, we all have our parts. Don't let the weight of the world rest on you Freya, things happen exactly how they're meant to. And as long as we do what we're supposed to do, not what we think we want to do, then we know we've succeeded."

x

_Author's Note:_ Ooh excitement eh? Unfortunately for some, this is going to be the only part with cameo appearances for a little while. But old faces and new places will be showing up before you know it! Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope the prologue built up something intriguing. I actually wasn't planning on putting this part in the story until much later, but I feel it's a good bridge and fits a prologue quite well. Besides, it's more exciting than just being told what happened. Well, let's move onto chapter one!


	2. The Mishap at the Auction House

**Chapter 1:** The Mishap at the Auction House 

_Two hundred years later..._

The Dark City of Treno, called that for its eternal night, was best known for its mix of the most upper class aristocratic nobles and most underclass citizens of bandits and poor folk. The two extremities added to the quirkiness of the city, and its bright lights and beautiful architecture made it a common attraction in the entire world. This evening was just like any other, with fancy dinner parties being had, street events filled with laughter, lower class bar fights, and anything else you could think of in a city where night always fell.

Underneath the great city was an ever winding train system that went nonstop twenty four hours a day.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" A concerned looking girl asked, with her big green eyes staring wonderingly at a young man standing in front of her. He was about a foot taller than her, making her eye level with his chest.

The two were standing in the aisle of a train, holding the long metal bar hanging from the ceiling so they wouldn't fall over from the turbulent ride. The odd persons were sitting or standing around them, but they made sure not to be within hearing distance.

The young man shared the same shade of green eyes as the girl, except his were filled with determination. He had spikey dirty blonde hair and patches of facial hair trying to grow around areas of his cheeks. He wore a black, high collared jacket and black pants. His distinguished feature was a long, monkey like tail that hung down his backside.

"Ovelia, it's a little late to be backing down now," the young man commented, looking down at his sister. She had long, messy brown hair that was done back in a high ponytail. She also wore black, her long cloak covering most of her attire.

Ovelia turned her head to the side as the two silently continued their ride under the paths beneath Treno, awaiting their stop.

"Of course you don't understand what I'm getting at," Ovelia muttered under her breath.

The spiked haired man got an annoyed frown on his face as he kept looking straight ahead.

"Of course I do, but it's not like we're going to get caught," the man replied. "...You didn't have to come along," he felt like he needed to add that. He knew it would get under Ovelia's skin for saying that, but it comes with being an older brother.

"Oh shut up, Dane!" She spat as she marched down the train a bit and sat at an empty seat. The man known as Dane peaked down the aisle to see her folding her arms and looking at the ground. He raised his eyebrows and blinked uncaringly.

The next ten minutes of the ride was filled with silence, half of it out of awkwardness and half out of eagerness.

"Next stop, King's Street," announced the computerized voice on the intercom of the train. "Next stop, King's Street."

With that, the two siblings' eyes met each other and Ovelia stood up. They already decided they would exit the train in different cars; once the train pulled to a stop, Ovelia headed down the aisle while Dane headed up. He thought it funny that whenever a train stopped and people began moving around that it always seemed more crowded than before.

When he stepped off the train, he found himself at the King's Street Underground Station. There were middle class mother's urging their crying children to get on the train, rich nobles walking with their heads held high in their flashy attire, poor beggars with holes in their coats asking for a tip, or trying to convince a noble that he knew a shortcut to the latest hot spot.

As Dane walked through the underground station towards the staircase, he put his hands in the pockets of his dark black jacket, closing his eyes and smirking. Treno had been notorious for its rich nobles as well as its sneaky bandits, and how uncanny it was that such two extremities lived in the same metropolis for so many years. He thought it funny. Some people called it dangerous, some called in too aristocratic, but he thought the perfect blend of it made it one thing, home.

He soon arrived at the staircase and quickly marched up, overhearing teenage girls, probably about Ovelia's age, talking about their latest Lucky Colour, as well as two young boys excited about their first Triple Triad deck.

Once he reached the top of the staircase, he found himself on the busy King's Street. To his left was a lake of dark water, with benches filled with lovers looking at the moon or students reading under the street lamps. He didn't know how anyone could concentrate on reading though, with all the people walking around and chatting. His green eyes soon locked on the Auction House, his destination. But it wasn't quite time to go there yet.

Dane looked around and headed towards a cafe called _Morrid's_ and sat down at one of the outdoor tables to wait.

"Excuse me sir, you can't sit there. Paying customers only," a gruff voice from the window called out. Dane turned to see a tired looking older man who was on the heavier side who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there. Dane guessed he must have been working since morning. Many of the lower class citizens in Treno were over worked, not being able to afford hired help because of the Noble's constantly raising the taxes.

"Alright, I get what you're saying," Dane replied as he walked to the window. "I'll get a cup of Burman coffee."

The owner nodded his head and disappeared into the building. Within minutes, Dane had his coffee and was sitting down again.

"Well it's nice to see some of us can just sit and relax," a voice behind Dane commented, which made him jump. He spilt his coffee and turned to see a young man about his standing behind him with a goofy grin on his face. He had messy brown hair, divided by his forehead with a red bandana. This was Lor, Dane's longtime friend.

"Maybe if someone showed up on time, I wouldn't be," Dane replied dryly. "I'm guessing you checked on Nika and Ovelia already?"

Lor nodded his head in accomplishment.

"Then let's go," Dane concluded as he stood up. The two young men casually walked towards the Auction House.

For centuries, the dark city of Treno has been known for its acclaimed Auction House, which managed to get rarities from ancient artefacts from the lost continent to old useless parts from Airships that ran on mist. It was located in the exact middle of the city, and had been owned by the noble King family since the first two boards were raised to start building it.

The boys soon found themselves outside of it, looking up at the huge white mansion with hundreds of windows perfectly placed throughout; its flat roof gave it a slight box look to it. When they walked in, they noticed it packed full of nobles. Both had been in the building plenty of times, but every time they went in it seemed as though they were walking into the past. He remembered Ovelia telling him before that the King family managed to succeed in keeping the building's authenticity since the Great Era. Yet, it still had a new, rich feel to it.

There were pearl white ivory columns reaching high to the arc shaped ceiling, which had four angels spread out, holding a grand chandelier in their carved hands. There was a stage at the front, where a middle aged man with slicked back hair and a thick curly moustache stood formally. He was a lanky man, and his yellow suit looked anything but tacky.

"...And our next item up for auction is the rare Blue Chocobo egg," the auctioneer announced.

Lor elbowed Dane who immediately looked at him. With his eyes, Lor signalled for Dane to look up at the balcony. When Dane did, he noticed a young woman with fire red hair elegantly sitting between two nobles. They could tell that she noticed the two boys as she casually stood up to leave the balcony area.

Dane and Lor managed to casually walk through the rows of nobles and find their way to a door where they quietly waited. Luckily, most of the people were so enthralled with the Blue Chocobo egg that they didn't notice the two young men standing at the locked door. Within minutes, the handle of the door turned on the other side and it cracked open.

The woman with the fire red hair poked her head out of the door.

"We've got to move fast," she said with a stern look in her azure blue eyes. This was Nika, another one of their accomplices. Nika was born of noble blood, which was a big asset to Dane and Lor, who were more lower class. She was able to get them to places in the Auction House that they wouldn't normally be able to get to. The two followed Nika through the door and found themselves standing at the bottom of a spiralling staircase.

"Okay Dane, you need to get to the twelfth floor," Nika commented as she closed the door behind her. "Once you're there, you'll come to a hallway with another door at the end of it. You'll find what you're looking for in there. It's just a small storage area, but stay in there until Lor comes to get you; we have to make sure the coast is clear."

Dane nodded his head and embarked up the winding staircase. Each level of the mansion had a small landing with a door, and he kept count of how many landings and doors he passed so as not to miss the twelfth floor. The sound of his footprints echoed as he started to catch a rhythm in his walk. Soon, he reached the twelfth floor.

He was standing in front of perfectly rectangular wooden door with a thick black handle on it. He pulled the handle open to reveal a long hallway showing his next destination to be about twenty metres away. He carefully closed the door behind him as he looked around the surroundings.

The hallway fit the rest of the mansion, with its lush burgundy carpet under Dane's feet and paintings of noble Lords and Ladies hanging on the pearl coloured wall to his right. On his left was a ledge that overlooked the auction hall. The voice of the auctioneer was now faint, being as he was further up. Directly in front of the ledge, Dane could see the tip of the chandelier and another ledge on the other side of the hall.

He quietly continued down the hall, his tail swishing vigorously as his green eyes looked intently at the door in front of him. The door at the end of the hall was similar to the one blocking the staircase. When he got into the room, he saw that it was filled with crates. His eyes quickly scanned the dark, musty chamber until he soon found what he was looking for; a little sliver of light shining underneath the wall.

Dane took extra caution to softly close the door behind him as he kneeled down to the crack. All he could do now was wait. Soon, he heard shuffling coming from the area where the light was shining through. Nika was right, this did show another room.

"Yes, the preparations are all made," a man's voice announced. He sounded as though he had authority, but the quiver in his voice said that he was slightly nervous. Dane recognized it as the auctioneer's voice. "Her highness will be arriving here tomorrow evening."

"Good," growled the second voice, which also belonged to a man. His voice sounded harsh and gruff. "And make sure that that...thing... is disposed of."

"Don't worry," assured the auctioneer. "It's going to be auctioned off soon enough and will be stored away by some noble who won't think twice of it after they take it home." Dane's eyes immediately widened.

The two men then left the room, continuing to talk. Dane clenched his fist. He needed to know what that 'thing' was. At least he had a lead; it was going to be auctioned off soon enough. He looked down at the time to take a mental note in his head what the hour was.

He let out a big sigh and rested his back against the cold wall. His nose was adjusting to the smell of must in the room.

xxx

Ovelia sat in a seat on the main floor of the auction hall. She looked around curiously, seeing if she could spot the others, but they were nowhere to be found. Ovelia hadn't seen any of them since she arrived at the Auction House. It was just like Dane not to inform her that he was actually here. For all she knew, they could've abandoned the mission and all gone home.

The auctioneer had taken a break, leaving the nobles to all chat amongst themselves. Ovelia looked down at her notebook. She kept track of which objects were being sold to whom, and what time they were happening at.

Soon, the auctioneer came back out.

"Sorry for the wait, ladies and gentlemen, out next item is Une's Mirror," he stated aloud, queuing everyone to take their seats.

xxx

Dane's eyes stared at the door as it opened into the storage room.

"Finally," he replied. "I was worried I might turn into a rat."

"...And who might you be?" An armoured man asked, walking into the room. Dane's eyes widened, as he immediately realized that this clearly wasn't Lor. The guard stood stunned long enough for Dane to make a run past him, sliding between his legs.

When he got to the hallway, he noticed two more guards standing at the other end. He looked around frantically. Luckily, it was dim enough in the storage room that his face wasn't revealed, and he was far enough away from the other two to see him. Dane made an eye at the chandelier. He gulped, and stepped up onto the ledge. By now, all the guards were charging at him.

He lunged towards the chandelier, successfully grabbing hold of it. He could hear the gasps of people below as he tried making his way towards the other ledge. His feet were kicking as hard as they could.

Soon, Lor appeared in front of him.

"Lor! What are you doing there?" Dane yelled out.

"You said the twelfth floor! I couldn't find you..." Lor replied defensively. He was talking as though he didn't realize his friend was hanging off a chandelier.

Dane made one last heave towards the ledge and crashed into Lor. The grip on his hands caused the chandelier to drop, heading straight to the auction hall. The panic and screams of nobles filled Dane's ears as the hurriedly rushed away from the falling chandelier.

"We've gotta get out of here," Lor concluded. "This way!"

xxx

Ovelia stood outside the Auction House, a safe distance away. She was blankly staring at the smoke pouring out of the huge doors to the manor, while nobles staggered out, coughing. There was still no sign of the others. She saw that it was Dane swinging from the chandelier earlier, causing it to fall and set the main hall on fire. Fortunately, it didn't seem like there was too much damage done.

Ovelia's eyes soon caught the back of two familiar looking boy's heads. She immediately felt a glare forming on her face as she marched towards them.

"What were you thinking?" She commanded aloud, causing the boys to jump.

"Ovelia! You scared the oglop oil right out of me," Lor replied as he turned to look at her.

"There you are," Dane stated. "We gotta get out of here," he stated, grabbing his sister by the arm and casually walked down the street. Onlookers everywhere were staring at the commotion and no one paid any heed to them.

"What about Nika?" Ovelia asked.

"She's fine," Lor commented. "She split not too long after Dane went upstairs."

"Did you get the names?" Dane asked.

"Yes," Ovelia replied.

"Good," Dane commented. "Now, who wants a coffee?"

x

_Author's Note:_ Just wanted to get chapter one up as well so those of you who are reading can get introduced to the protagonist. To be continued...


	3. Plans

**Chapter 2:** Plans

Lieutenant Skye was less than thrilled with what he was about to do. He silently stood in front of two arched doors. He brushed his shaggy brown hair away from his sweaty forehead with one gloved hand, as his opposing arm confidently tucked his hat against his side. He looked down at his scarlet red uniform and smoothed out the few wrinkles that lay placed. With that, he placed his hat on his head and knocked the door in front of him.

"Come in lieutenant," called out a husky, gruff voice from the other side. Skye's eyes widened as he realized he was expected. He wondered how long the General knew he was standing there.

When Lieutenant Skye opened the double doors, he found himself standing on a lush red carpet, met by a long, solid, brown desk with papers neatly stacked and placed in their designated spots. On the other side of the desk stood a man with his back to Skye, gloved hands clasped as he stared out the large, circular window.

The man turned around. His slicked back white hair perfectly complimented his older, handsome face. His uniform resembled that of the lieutenant's, except being black instead of red.

"Greeting's General Horro," Skye formally announced.

"What say you?" General Horro asked, skipping the formalities.

"We've yet to determine if the destruction of the Auction House was intentional or not. However, I made sure_ it_ got away," Skye reported.

"Good," the General replied, followed by a moment of silence. Lieutenant Skye held a concerned look on his face.

"Is something on your mind, lieutenant?" General Horro asked, inspecting him with his silver eyes.

"Permission to ask, Sir," Skye waited till Horro's head nod until he continued. "Would it not be wiser to bring it back to Alexandria with us instead of leaving it in the hands of a stranger?"

"We do what Her Majesty asks of us, without question," Horro snapped. "Now, is that all, Lieutenant?"

"One more thing, Sir," Skye added. "There was a young man spotted leaving the Auction House tonight. He was reported to have a... a tail, sir."

General Horro immediately looked at the lieutenant in the eyes. He stood silent for a minute, staring.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Horro replied. "You are dismissed."

xxx

Dane scanned the paper in front of him with his green, intent eyes. He, Lor, and Ovelia sat at a table outside of Morrid's Cafe as the excitement of the night started dying down. Lor rested his head on his elevated arms as he observed people passing by, while Ovelia sat with her arm resting on the table, staring at Dane; she noted his tail was swinging back and forth excitedly.

"Found it!" Dane announced excitedly. Lor's eyes peered over at his friend, slithgly curious and slightly bored. "19:47...Une's Mirror... Purchased by Lord Knight."

"Lord Knight?" Lor asked. "The guy who owns the battle arena?"

"I guess so," Dane replied. "It may be easier breaking into there than I thought."

"Oh don't go doing anything else that's foolish!" Ovelia pleaded. "The Auction House was bad enough."

"Shush, Ovelia," Dane glared. "We don't want people knowing _we_ were behind that."

"I still think it's strange," Lor announced. "If this thing is the apparent key to her destruction, why wouldn't the Sorceress just take it back to Alexandria, where she can keep an eye on it?"

"Well, maybe that's why," Ovelia noted. "Maybe she can't be around it? I think the idea is brilliant, really. Hiding it away at some noble's mansion where it will be regarded as an heirloom for years to come. Within weeks, it will be forgotten about and then stored away in a box. And there is so much high security at all the mansions here in Treno, no one will ever get it."

"Good thinking, Ovelia," Dane commended.

"Well why not throw it to the bottom of the ocean then?" Lor asked.

"In case anyone ever finds out about it," Ovelia explained. "With technology and the brains of some explorers these days, it would be easy to track down. No one would think of it being sold at an Auction House, maybe. Even if they did, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack to find out which noble bought it."

"It's pure luck that it was the Knight family who ended up buying it," Dane concluded. "Entering for the Battle Arena will be like walking in with an open invitation."

"It's about time I brushed up on my skills," Lor announced as he started punching the air.

"Right," Dane agreed with determination in his eyes. "The sorceress will be here tomorrow night, so we've got a lot of planning to do. She usually goes to the battle arena at least once while she's here, we could kill two birds with one stone."

"You mean, Operation Declaration?" Lor asked, wide eyed. Dane nodded his head.

"We might as well, and when better to do it with Une's Mirror in our grasp?" Dane asked.

"But Dane, we still don't know what exactly it does to the Sorceress," Ovelia commented. "All that that merchant from Dali told us was that it was a clue to her weakness. Even he didn't know what it did. In fact, I'm surprised he was telling the truth at all. Had you not overheard the auctioneer talking with that man, then I still wouldn't believe it."

"Well I did and it does," Dane replied, realizing his sentence didn't make a whole lot of sense. "And even if we can't use it yet, her knowing that we have it in our midst will be enough to have her sweating in her boots."

"Men are so foolish," Ovelia muttered under her breath. "She's a sorceress! Don't you think she could send an ice javelin right through you if you were ten metres away from her? She doesn't have the kindest reputation..."

"Doesn't the Battle Arena have that projector screen?" Lor asked. "We could do it there, out of harm's way."

"I just love when great idea's come together so quickly," Dane stated as he leaned back in his chair, looking as content as ever. "See Ovelia? Us boys aren't as foolish as you think we are..."

"Well, maybe when there are two of you together you're a little more sensible," Ovelia admitted. "But you were ready to march right in front of the Sorceress yourself and wave Une's Mirror right in her face. Besides, we don't have it just yet, and we don't even know if she's going to be at the Battle Arena tomorrow."

"I bet Nika could find out," Dane suggested. "It's so great we've got someone of Noble blood in our group now. She can get all kinds of inside information for us."

"Yes, Tantalus is expanding into quite the group," Lor admitted. "We're starting to get pretty well known around town."

"By supporters and haters," Ovelia commented, looking over at a sign posted on a wall which read, _Long Live Sorceress Agesha. May any who oppose her face the wrath of her cold blood._ Ovelia felt there were more opposers than supporters to their cause.

Tantalus had been formed by Dane and Lor about five years ago, when she was only about twelve years old. It was a rebellion they slowly started to design to raise awareness of Sorceress Agesha's malicious and subtle cruel intents on the nation of Alexandria.

So far, their success in recruit has been minimal. They've all managed to keep their identities to a minimum so none of Agesha's supporters would maul them on the streets or warrant for their arrest. Ovelia had really only been a part of Tantalus for two years, because of Dane's constant insistence of her being too young.

Nika was the newest member of the group. Although she had only been with them a few months, she became an asset quite quickly in Dane's eyes due to her noble lineage. At first Ovelia didn't fully trust her, but they bonded rather quickly.

"Whoever puts those signs up needs to relax," Dane commented as he gazed at the sign. "We should get back to the hideout and tell Reko our new plan. I bet he could find a way of hooking us up to the screen at the Battle Arena."

"Nika said she would meet us there at 22:00 if we got separated," Lor stated. The three quickly finished up their drinks and left the coffee shop. As usual, they decided to separate to make their way back to the hideout. None were that well known yet, but precautions must always be taken when dealing with taking down a Sorceress.

As Dane strolled down the streets of the bustling city of night, he noticed a few people passing by talking about the Auction House. He heard proud comments such as "Do you think Tantalus was sending a warning for when the Sorceress is here?" to some outright insulting things that he had to make sure not to stop and argue about like "When will those group of kids realize they're up for a lost cause?"4

Even though setting the auction house on fire was an accident, Dane was satisfied that they were becoming well enough known that people were developing a correlation to them.

Soon, Dane found himself at a quieter end of the city. He walked along a cobblestone bridge that overlooked the serene black lake that showed the perfect reflection of the moon. Across the lake were the bright city lights of King's Street. He could barely make out the remains of the Auction House through all the thousands of lights from the street lamps and shining out the windows of buildings.

It seemed as though people were still wandering around, perhaps observing the burned down landmark, or not even looking twice at it. From Dane's assumptions, knowing the type of people nobles were, it was probably the perfect blend of both. They would only stop long enough to find out information to satisfy their curiosity and give them something to gossip about, and then they would be well on their way. Dane smirked at the thought.

He soon arrived in front of a tall tower that was gated off. It looked a little run down, but Dane had heard it was one of the oldest structures in Treno. He opened the gate and found himself in front of a familiar set of two stairs which lead to a platform that encircled the tower and continued to over look the lake and city. To the right of the tower was a small area that stuck out, revealing a humble wooden door. Dane shuffled through his pockets until he found a key. Opening the door revealed a long set of spiraling staircases.

Dane started the long trek up the wide, white steps. Huge open windows looked off into the night sky. After about ten minutes, he arrived at the top. It was an old room with a huge telescope in the middle that stuck out the roof of the tower. Even though the room smelled musty, it was kept cozy. There was a kitchenette perfectly lined against the wall, along with two double beds and a couch that looked out the window.

This was his and Ovelia's home ever since he could remember, but it had a secret to it. Pulling a latch opened up a section of the floor that revealed a ladder that delved into the darkness. Dane immediately went down the ladder and found himself in a room with scattered papers across the floor and a table with chairs carelessly placed around it. In the corner sat a man staring at a screen. This was Reko, the oldest member in Tantalus. He didn't leave the hideout too often because of his one leg. He mostly thrived on the technical stuff anyway.

"Hey Reko!" Dane greeted. Reko turned around. He was a heavier set man, but mostly from muscle. His messy gray hair dangled behind his face. He let out a grin, revealing a few teeth missing.

"I hear you done me proud tonight, boy," Reko laughed as he turned back to the screen where a news anchor was informing the audience of the mishap at the auction house.

"Ah, it wasn't really intentional," Dane smiled as he scratched his hand behind his head.

"Still though, those nobles probably got their knickers in such a knot they don't know which end is up!" Reko laughed.

"I guess Dane's clumsiness pays off sometimes," Lor commented as he hopped off the ladder.

"Hey Reko, we found out that it's Une's Mirror we're looking for," Dane informed. "And we got a plan to get it. It's at the Knight's Mansion. Lor's going to enter the Battle Arena tomorrow night so we can get in there... We need your help though. It's time to commence Operation Declaration."

Reko's solemn look returned to his face as he turned to face the two young men.

"So it's time then," Reko announced.

"All we have to do is wait and see if Nika can find out when the Sorceress is going to be there," Lor explained.

"Once I steal Une's Mirror, we can have it in our hands to taunt Her Royal Excellency right to her face," Dane explained mockingly. "That way she, and the rest of the nation, knows we mean business."

X

_Author's Note:_ Dun dun dun. Hope this chapter did some good explaining to people's backgrounds. I was going to include a little more but it's late and I need some sleep. To be continued!


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